Future Commerce

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The Twelve Days of Future-mas Jan 06, 2023

Show notes

What a year 2022 was. Let’s recap it together, shall we? Phillip and Brian look back on the most popular episodes, articles, and happenings at Future Commerce and tease a lot about what is coming in 2023 and why they are excited about what’s ahead. Listen now!

“You Had Me at Beowulf”

The most listened-to-episode of 2022 was Episode 240 featuring Magdalena Kala, in which she dropped lots of great insights that became even more profound as the year unfolded
As technology like blockchain and other protocols advance, we have to stop using industry lingo because people don’t buy protocols, they buy products
It’s the creative jobs that AI is coming after, not the lower-end jobs that we all thought would be in danger, but the world always finds a way to succeed in middle-management right?
Unfortunately, ChatGPT wouldn’t do what Phillip asked when he asked for a bullet-point version of Beowulf in Gen Z slang
“It used to be if you understood Booleans, you could be good at Google. If you understand gaslighting, you can be great at GPT.” - Phillip
Like Kris Gösser says, “The shipping experience is half the shopping experience.”
Guests like Miki Agrawal, Neil Shakar, and Seyi Taylor provided interesting perspectives that we couldn’t have done without in 2022
You have to build something worth protecting before you build the moat to protect it
We believe commerce is personal, and that makes it very important to all of us, so we continue to embrace the stories of people and brands, and sharing these will be an emphasis in 2023
Thank you to all of you for joining us throughout 2022 and coming with us into 2023!

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Get ready for Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
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Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

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“If You’re Building for This Moment, You’re Already Late” Feat. Calvin Lammers, Managing Partner at Rare Eye Dec 23, 2022

Show notes

Where are people shopping and how is that affecting how people are launching brands today? The guys sit down with Calvin Lammers to hear what he is seeing as an emerging CPG leader to get his take on the opportunity available to brands today.

Rare Eye for the CPG Guy

How brands launch has now significantly changed. Before, brands could decide to avoid Amazon but now, it’s an imperative part of their early business strategy.
Amazon is a true platform now and has become more competitive, so differentiation at the start is very important for a brand to be set up well for success and scale
When it comes to emerging brands, Instacart is better at helping those brands be discovered and scale than Walmart+, especially if it’s in the grocery category
The path forward for a lot of brands could be taking advantage of the opportunity to grow quickly and then moving to an aggregator or portfolio
We may still see a lot of brands, but we likely won’t see them scale like Venture wanted them to scale
“If it's hard that means not everybody's doing it and there's a reason why. But that also means there's an opportunity to succeed.” - Calvin
Good partnerships are key, and they have to cut through the clutter and build your audience authentically to make sense
You have to learn to anticipate what the next thing is going to be so you’re not late for this moment

Associated Links:

Learn more about Calvin Lammers and Rare Eye.
Get ready for Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Download VISIONS 2022 NOW!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Our Favorite Product Placements in Film, Feat. Andrea Popova, CEO and Co-Founder of Consumer Packaged Goods Directory Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

If only there was a directory where we can find out concise information about CPG and also a directory of agencies for brands to find. Well, there is! Listen in as Phillip and Brian discuss the CPG world with Andrea Popova and also find out what some of their favorite product placements in films are and why the future of feature is different.

McCallister Money

CPGD is a wealth of information for leaders in the CPG world and a great resource for connections and was a huge lucky moment for Andrea
TikTok is just not the same as it was in the beginning of its reign, and it’s a lot harder to go viral there now
There are some really interesting product placements in films that actually lead to the product being more like a side-character, and there are some brilliant examples
Back when Phillip was 14, the Tampa Bay Times wrote an article about a specific product placement that actually made a lasting impression on him that still impacts him today
“The whole premise behind celebrity back brands and how this is becoming more of a thing is because now the power has shifted towards the brand actually needing the financial support of the celebrities to grow.” - Andrea
Why have some celebrities starting brands gotten backlash and others have been accepted?
If Brian ever gets famous, look for his sweater brand
There's some regionality and the awareness of the allure of such a thing based on where you happen to be and the feasibility to get it that can effect the way product placement in a film makes an impact
When you populate the world of a film or show with consumer brands that are vestiges of certain eras, it gives it some authenticity, so how can that translate to now with the explosion of DTC brands and what does the future of features look like for them?

Associated Links:

Learn more about Andrea Popova and Consumer Packaged Good Directory (CPGD).
Episode 3 of Visions: Romanticism
Get ready for Archetypes, our soon-to-be-published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Download VISIONS 2022 NOW!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fingers and Scissors: AI Product Photography Feat. Sofiia Shvets, Founder & CEO of Let’s Enhance io and Claid AI Dec 09, 2022

Show notes

AI advancements are changing the landscape of product photography in many industries, including eCommerce. There are many exciting use cases and possibilities and also some snags that the AI world is trying to untangle, such as rights to content, proper execution of image generation, and other issues that could be figured out by the time 2023 rolls around. Seriously? Listen now to hear Sofiia Shvets’ take on this and more!

Have Your Robots Call My Robots

The power of AI technology is not only about saving time and money but streamlining efficiency, so that teams are more connected and more able to operate at a higher scale
Having more tooling that allows a still very small team to be able to operate efficiently with competitive margins is the biggest challenge that we face in eCommerce today
We are at the beginning of phase 2 of generative AI where we can actually create content from scratch for multiple industries, including eCommerce
AI tech is iterating so fast that within the next month or month and a half, Sofiia predicts we won’t be able to pick out the photos on a website that are AI generated
“There will be a future use case that we can't even be able to dream of that is more likely the outcome than not.” - Phillip
“There is a study that I read recently that currently around 1% of the content and the Internet is AI-generated. In the next 6-10 years, the prediction is up to 50%.” - Sofiia
AI changes the way we think about how consumers are going to interact with content in the future

Associated Links:

Learn more about Sofiia Shvets and Claid AI.
Get ready for Archetypes, our soon-to-be-published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Download VISIONS 2022 NOW!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Uncanny Ability to Balance Idealism and Enterprise Value, feat. Adii Pienaar, Cogsy Nov 25, 2022

Show notes

With the advancements in technology over the years and the prospect of advancements looking into the future, how can we make sure we are looking around and keeping our approach as one that brings others with us? Is there a way to build that also lifts others and strives to not leave some behind? Phillip and Brian chat with Adii Pienaar about this and more. Listen now!

Human-Centered Future

“Going from 0 to 1 remains hard. As a founder, especially when you are responsible to your shareholders and your team members, there are some days where things don't work as hoped or planned. That is still hard.” - Adii
“There's an African proverb that says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you're going to want to go far, go together.’” - Adii
Adii is a technologist and early adopter and believes that AI and machine learning will continue to advance, but it will stop before the robots take over completely
Functionally or logistically it is easier to build a business now than it was 20 years ago, but without that balance of science and art, there can’t truly be success
It’s very interesting to look at the dynamics of building a business with teams where the communication has to be asychronous
Writing well, being a storyteller, is an important skill set in eCommerce
“The core technology has probably not changed significantly, but we're probably at that stage now where there is a massive step change in the skills that you need to apply to use the same technology.” - Adii
As we continue to build technology, we have to consider the consequences from a human perspective and not leave some behind who may need a different approach

Associated Links:

Learn more about Adii Pienaar and Cogsy at @adii on Twitter or Cogsy.com.
Get ready for Archetypes, our soon-to-be-published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Get your tickets to our Archetypes Event December 1 in Miami, FL
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Download VISIONS 2022 NOW!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

STEP BY STEP: Make B2B Sexy Again, with Bar Geron, Balance Nov 23, 2022

Show notes

Balance strives to make online B2B payments something that doesn’t suck. Why is it important to take action and learn as much as you can about digitizing your business? How do you move from a “keep our business alive” mentality to “grow our business in 2023” strategy? Why is B2B such a vital part of the new world of eCommerce? Listen Now!

Old World/New World

“Because there are more opportunities, more relationships that can be formed, and because discovery is so much higher due to digitization of B2B, we're actually moving into an unknown area in B2B, which is you don't know or have a relationship with the other person on the other side of the transaction.” - Phillip
“B2B is the economy. It's not a nuance. It's not a segment of something. It’s really the future of the economy.” - Bar
“If you have a relationship with trust, you better be ready to also digitize or you're going to have the Chem Directs and the Steel Directs and the Lumber Directs of the world coming for you.” - Brian
“If you're not digitizing at some level, you will get hurt. You will have to choose digitizing your business or working with platforms that are digitizing your sales channel. You have to do something.” - Bar
After such a huge wave of brand building of business tools in DTC, B2B is a natural evolution to get the products that were built into other channels
Continuing to build digital disruption is actually a moat that you can build around owning your corner of distribution
Leveraging your brand to create your own niche marketplace and leveraging your brand to increase supply are trends with enormous potential
Business teams need to adapt as technology continues to advance and AR will be something Balance will enable, not erase

Associated Links:

Get connected with Balance at GetBalance.com.
Learn more about Bar Geron.
Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
Archetypes Event December 1 in Miami, FL
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Download VISIONS 2022 NOW!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

STEP BY STEP: The Consumerization of B2B with Kirsten Green, Forerunner Ventures Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

Venture Capital has been powering brands in the modern era and has also shifted with the changing times. How has Forerunner experienced those changes over the past decade and what opportunity is there ahead? Kirsten Green, General Partner at Forerunner Ventures joins this episode of Step by Step to talk about the evolution of eCommerce, the massive monetary potential of the B2B industry, and the role of data and research in eCommerce. Listen Now!

Table Stakes

“The customer wants what they want, where they want it, when they want it, how they want it, and the job of a business is to understand what that means for them in the context of all the channels that are available.” - Kirsten
The evolution of eCommerce has now also led to the expectation of delight and excellent experience from business tools and software that used to be mostly about functionality
One of the original promises of direct to consumer was to take out the middleman because middlemen were expensive, but did that work?
“The transformation of this industry happens in partnership with the evolution of consumer behavior and expectation and the technology that allows those expectations to be met.” - Kirsten
The word is that 12 - 25 trillion dollars is the opportunity that B2B transactions offer within the next few years, which is enormous
“Staying grounded and where there are those kinds of big opportunities and seismic shifts in business and investing into those is what we spend the lion's share of timing consideration around.” - Kirsten
Kirsten believes we are in a pre-data era, not a post-data one, and actually we really need to be sharpening our worldview through research and engaging and getting ongoing feedback about what's going on with the consumer, the user, the mindset, and behavior, which is evolving at a breakneck speed
“One of the biggest challenges to work through in the evolution of business, whether it's a B2C company or a B2B business is really bringing the user, the human, along in that journey in how they use and leverage the technology and their willingness to do that.” - Kirsten

Associated Links:

Get connected with Balance at GetBalance.com.
Learn more about Kirsten Green.
Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
Archetypes Event December 1 in Miami, FL
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Download VISIONS 2022 NOW!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

STEP BY STEP: B2B Payments: The Final Frontier, with Paul do Forno, Deloitte Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

There are a million reasons why B2B payments are behind the times. In an era where margins are razor thin, businesses make irrational decisions that cause frustration and headaches for employees and for finance. The modernization of payments in business is the final frontier of digital transformation, employee experience, cash flow management, and profitability. When every point of margin matters, investing in your payments infrastructure is critical to your success. Listen in as Paul do Forno, Managing Director at Deloitte shares why he believes B2B payments is the next great untapped industry. Listen now!

An $8 Trillion Industry

Digital Commerce 360 estimates that businesses pay other businesses approximately $17 Trillion
Of that $17 Trillion, about half of those payments are done manually and due for optimization.
There is a lot to think about in B2B payments, including setting up terms, how you sell, who you’re selling to, setting up new clients, and more.
If Paul were trying to sell the benefit of B2B payment tools, he would really focus on the reduction of average payment time.
For Paul, he experiences their B2B business growing faster than their B2C business, which he isn’t surprised by, looking at the state of the current economy.
The role of trust is vital in B2B payments. If one doesn’t have insight into what they’re buying, their order, etc, they won’t trust the supplier to fulfill their promise.

Associated Links

Get connected with Balance
Learn more about Paul do Forno
Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
Archetypes Event December 1 in Miami, FL
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Download VISIONS 2022 NOW!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

FOMO Is Not A Strategy [feat. Dr. Amy Gershkoff Bolles, Global Head of Digital and Emerging Technology Strategy at Levi Strauss and Company] Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

Phillip and Brian talk with Dr Amy Gershkoff Bolles about how having an innovation strategy that connects to your larger corporate strategy and a very disciplined approach, looking for opportunities that add value for your business and most importantly for your customers, is key to longevity. Evaluating opportunities in the digital and technology space, given how much opportunity there is, is a very important discussion. Listen in to hear what they are doing at Levi’s, and how the future there is bright.

It’s in the Jeans

It’s so important to be both building for scale and testing and learning simultaneously
Innovation is in the lifeblood of Levi Strauss and Company, and has been for 170 years of business
Amy and her team developed a scorecard and framework that allows them to objectively assess new technology or digital opportunities and evaluate how they work with the overall corporate strategy
Data, AI, and digitization can be used to make very meaningful differences in the costumer experience, and we are really at the beginning of understanding how to use these tools effectively
“We're in the first inning in terms of the opportunity that lies ahead for data and AI and digitization to impact consumers and businesses. And I'm really excited to see the next eight innings that are in front of us.” - Amy
The lines between the digital world and the physical world have been erased, especially for Gen Z consumers, so a brand must provide that seamless experience for consumers
Levi’s has used data and AI to develop a comprehensive loyalty program that provides opportunities for consumers to have a personalized experience that is tailored to their needs
“What future commerce perspectives and enterprise value might incorporate ten years from now could be a million things, but if you don't have the right framework in place, you won't be able to build for the future.” - Phillip
Levi Strauss and Company is partnering with Silicon Valley Bank to find new and exciting start ups to work with that will continue to advance their strategy and approach to providing unparalleled experiences to their customers

Associated Links:

Get ready for Archetypes, our soon-to-be-published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Get your tickets to our Archetypes Event December 1 in Miami, FL
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Download VISIONS 2022 NOW!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Learn more about Dr Amy Gershkoff Bolles and Levi Straus & Co at LeviStrauss.com or on LinkedIn.

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Deepfake the World Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

On today’s episode, Phillip and Brian discuss e-biking and deficient snack drawers, AI and the recent developments within use cases for eCommerce, and also about that guy in Starbucks who was in full-VR use like it was his job. Was it his job? I mean, he did have a tie on.

Jeroboam-sized BOOMCHICKAPOP

How has Phillip’s experience with being a one-car family for a year been going and wait, how many miles has he either biked or run this year so far?
Artificial limitations can provide great opportunities to be creative and intentional
How’s your snack drawer looking and what’s a guy or gal to do about it?
Sometimes a snack brand’s ideal customer is the one standing in front of the compulsive buy section in Home Depot or Lowe’s
Let’s Enhance can ingest and teach the AI through 3D models, so if you can import a 3D model of your product, you can then compose images with the AI through prompts alone
The whole of the AI engine has contextual understanding of certain things in the world and the same brief that would go to the creative team now goes to the engine
“These tools are going to continue to point us towards better collaboration between departments and probably tighter teams and running diverse teams against different segments as opposed to having disparate business units.” - Brian
Why do we need humans to sit in and give perspective on what is on brand and what is not when you could tell the AI, "This is our brand book. Follow the brand book," and then give the unlimited power of creativity to other people who are going to use it in whatever channel that you can't potentially even begin to imagine yet?” - Phillip
Neither you nor your hair can look cool with a VR strap that goes straight down the middle of your head
Route is getting some hate, but really all Route or any shipping insurance company is doing is creating a value extractive solution for your shortcomings as a brand or service

Associated Links:

Follow Sofiia Shvets to check out what’s happening with CLAID.ai
Get ready for Archetypes, our soon to be published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Get your tickets to our Archetypes Event December 1 in Miami, FL
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Download VISIONS 2022 NOW!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Have Your Robots Call My Robots

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Human-Centered Future

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Old World/New World

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Table Stakes

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An $8 Trillion Industry

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It’s in the Jeans

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Jeroboam-sized BOOMCHICKAPOP

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Future Commerce

“You Had Me at Beowulf”

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Rare Eye for the CPG Guy

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McCallister Money

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Have Your Robots Call My Robots

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Human-Centered Future

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Old World/New World

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Table Stakes

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An $8 Trillion Industry

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It’s in the Jeans

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Jeroboam-sized BOOMCHICKAPOP

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